Obesity in Children Essay Example for Free

Obesity in Children Essay What parents allow their children to eat can affect their bodies and their life. Most children don’t realize the effects of long term illnesses such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart condition and high blood pressure. Taxing unhealthful foods and beverages could prove an important strategy to overconsumption and potentially aid in weight loss and reduced rates of diabetes among children and adults. Junk food should be taxed because it will reduce obesity, type 2 diabetes, and health care costs. First of all, taxing junk food will lower obesity among Americans. The increase in both soda and pizza found that many Americans would still buy junk food regardless of a price increase. Taxing of sugary beverages at a penny-per-ounce rate with the goal of decreasing consumption of obesity caused in drinks. The junk food tax would fund obesity related health initiatives such as diabetes care. Obesity has been acknowledged as a national problem, notion of taxing junk food doesn’t seem so bad. Secondly, Americans need to take better control over what they eat and what they feed their children. We must take a stand against obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease in children and young adults. Most fast foods contain process meats and considered unhealthy in children. Americans don’t have an ideal what they are eating in fast food restaurants. How the government determined what foods should be served in schools. A couple of school systems such as Texas and California had a great idea to remove soft drinks, pop, soda, energy drinks and cola from the schools lunch rooms along with fast foods such as burgers, French fries, hot ogs and convenience stores, too fight the obesity epidemic among the United States and children. Replace drinks with orange juice, and water. Replace fast foods with fresh fruits, vegetables, salads and exercise. Obesity in the United States has risen from 48 percent to 65 percent within the last thirty years and so has health care which has sky racket. We need to be more proactive in saving our children by eating healthier f oods in the home and school. Schools need to change the vending machines to reflect eating healthy will help the body to become healthier. The school environment, nutrition, organizational support groups, school policies that take away things such as sweetened beverages, and replace them with water, juice, fruit, vegetables and less junk food. Availability of less healthful food and beverages in schools is worldwide. Despite changes in improving school food environment, availability of high fat food such things as pizza and hamburgers remain high in United States schools. Canadian elementary schools seem to have fewer vending machines, but less healthful food and beverages are available to all grades as they are made available through outlets such as cafeteria, school stores. It is said that schools may influence students into eating unhealthy by the lunches they provide and the vending machines that are in schools. Lastly, fast foods are not good because they have no nutrition value, most children that consume fast foods on a daily basic start to gain weight due to lack of exercise. Children watch more TV and play more video games than exercising. Less exercise in schools, have also been a major factor contributing to obesity in children. Fast foods make children tired, the more you eat the less energy you have. When you walk into a store whether it’s a large grocery store or a small convenience store the lack of fruits and vegetables are small. Most children and adults are unaware that they have high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Most children who suffer from obesity also have a high rate of asthma. It would be a good idea if governments would rate schools on lunches they are providing to students. The school should prohibit advertising of fast foods, sweets and pop, prohibit use of less healthful foods , provide advertising that deals with eating healthy and healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, seek educational requirements for school food and include requirements for nutrition education. Include exercise in the diet each day that way children won’t feel tried after eating lunch. They will burn off fast and their bodies will feel better and become better in the long run. We need our children to be healthy. We need to avoid sickness, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Americans need to limit the intake of fast foods and start looking at healthy choices for themselves and their children. Medical bills have sky racket. If we plan to keep our generation of children around we better start looking at better ways of eating and providing nutrient in our everyday diet. Most people have cars, less people walk, ride bikes, or exercise. We have become lazy when it comes to exercise and eating healthy. Look at your children and ask yourself, do I want my child to continue looking like this, obese, sick and unhealthy.